QVC joins 'Black Friday' frenzy

Published 7:00 pm, Thursday, November 26, 2009

Television retailer QVC has made aggressive plans to keep shoppers watching -- instead of mall-hopping -- on Black Friday, an event it has traditionally ignored.

The leading network for TV shoppers promises special deals and a healthy dose of new items for sale. Program host Dave James plans to stay awake for 28 hours of telethon-like coverage.

The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year, called "Black Friday" because it's key for many businesses to go in the black, or turn a profit. QVC, which competes with ShopNBC and the HSN home shopping network, has not wanted to get caught up in the frenzy and has always treated it as just another day for its sales pitches, said Doug Rose, the network's vice president of programming and marketing.

"This year, and we've been planning on this for many months, we really expect to join the fray with the other retailers," Rose said.

The network generally offers one "special value" item to customers each day. For "Black Friday," there will be three.

Every hour, there will be a specially priced offer, and there will be five hours of gifts that have never been available before on the network, QVC said.

"There are a lot of people who think of going to the mall on 'Black Friday' as dental surgery -- painful and awful," Rose said. "We'll be a good alternative."

James, a former radio disc jockey, said the closest thing he's come to his upcoming 28-hour marathon is hosting radiothons for about half the time. He said he's working with a nutritionist to prepare him for the ordeal.

He's convinced his family to have an early Thanksgiving dinner and hopes the turkey will let him have a long nap before he goes to QVC's Pennsylvania studio.